There is a consistent link between migraine and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, including cardiovascular mortality, according to a recent prospective cohort study in women. Researchers evaluated 115,541 female nurses, aged 25 to 42 years at baseline, and free of angina and CVD, from 1989 through June 2011. They found:

• 17,531 (15.2%) women reported a physician’s diagnosis of migraine.

• Over 20 years of follow-up, 1,329 major CVD events occurred and 223 women died from CVD.

• After adjustment for potential confounding factors, migraine was associated with an increased risk for major CVD, myocardial infarction, stroke, and angina/coronary revascularization procedures, compared with women without migraine.

• Migraine was also associated with a significantly increased risk for CVD mortality.

• Associations were similar across subgroups of women, including by age (<50/≥50), smoking status, hypertension, postmenopausal hormone therapy, and oral contraceptive use.